Work by Morriston artists recognized at Westminster dog show

Tuesday

Feb 12, 2013 at 2:41 PM

The poster for the 137th show was designed by Robert Clark and Richard Moss, whose studio is in Morriston on the Marion-Levy county line.

By Rick AllenStaff writer

A trophy from the Westminster Kennel Club's Annual Dog Show that anybody can take home with them is the official poster for the event under way right now in New York City.And this year it's a trophy with ties to north central Florida: the poster for the 137th show was designed by Robert Clark and Richard Moss, a pair of tile and mosaic artists whose studio is in Morriston on the Marion-Levy county line.“It's a beautiful piece,” said Elizabeth Hobson, director of marketing and exhibitions for the New York Academy of Art, which selected the collection of hand-painted oil-on-porcelain miniature portraits of show dogs for display on the poster.“It's intensely difficult, interesting and dynamic,” she added in describing their work, titled "Westminster - There's Only One." Among the dogs depicted, according to the Westminister website, are Malachy, the Pekingese that captured the Best of Show title last year, and Sensation, Westminster's mascot. Other breeds are depicted as well.Clark and Moss were in New York Tuesday autographing posters for sale at the show.“We've known for a bit but couldn't tell anyone,” they wrote in an October blog item on the website for their business, Equipment of Culture. “It's even more exciting to be able to let everyone know!”The display also is being used for the show's other promotional materials.Clark is a 1992 master's alumnus of NYAA, while Moss studied mosaics in Italy, according to the Westminster website. “Together they have been recognized by the National Endowment for the Arts, the White House Millennium Project, museums and prestigious private collectors,” the website added.Their 23 kiln-fired miniatures stood out from the pool of 16 entries for this year's poster, Hobson said. The array of miniatures on a background of jewel-tone green velvet was selected from five finalist pieces.“We knew it was the winner right away,” she said. “It's three dimensional, unlike the other works. All the others were either on paper or canvas. It's an absolutely gorgeous piece.”Rick Allen can be reached at rick.allen@starbanner.com or 867-4154.